Columbus, Ohio poet/emcee Illogic and New York City producer Blockhead, who first collaborated back in 2000, recently teamed up again to record two EPs and their first full length album project together - the TK via Man Bites Dog release Capture The Sun which arrives in Amoeba Music today. The 16 track album is an all killer, no filler hip-hop release that finds these two talented artists at their best with select special features from such artists as Slug (of Atmosphere), Blueprint, andAbstract Rude. I recently caught up with both Blockhead and Illogic to chop it up with them about the new album that I learned is dedicated to Illogic's grandmother who, he told me, passed away just a few weeks ago after battling cancer for the past few years. "Even before that [though] I was planning on dedicating this record to her because the whole album title and the concept is inspired by something she would always tell me. And that is that your dreams that are delayed are not denied. And that is something I try to impart to my family as well; just to go after their dreams and no matter how long it takes that they can always achieve them. And that is something that my family has imparted in me as well," said the father of three sons who holds family dear to his heart. In fact his mother, who when he was just a little kid used to give him the dictionary to study, has being perhaps the most influential person in his life as an artist. "My mom is an interesting person," shared the emcee/poet. "She was a black nationalist in college. She studied Islam. She was very intellectual. And I actually learned to speak French before I could speak English. She always made sure that I understood the power of language and the power of words. And that is something to this day that I am grateful for because here I am: Illogic the rapper, the writer, the poet. And that is mainly because of what my mother instilled in me at a young age."
"With the concept for Capture The Sun Blockhead was the perfect producer for what I was trying to accomplish," said Illogic noting that what has always attracted him to Blockhead's production style is his meticulous attention to detail. "He will take a two-second part of a song and put it into a beat. And he will take a whole bunch of those; two, five, ten second parts and create a complete backdrop of something completely beautiful that you have never heard before…..he just makes a symphony out of everything that he does!"